Third trimester wrap-up

Well, I was worried that I wouldn’t get around to writing this while I was actually still in the third trimester… but this baby’s got other plans! I’m currently 41 weeks + 1 day as I write this.

40 weeks pregnant

This baby is taking its sweet time to make its grand entrance, apparently! 

I was lucky to have a pretty easy first and second trimester, with almost no morning sickness – just lots of exhaustion and growing pains, but nothing that wasn’t manageable. Then along came the third trimester, which brought with it a gooooood number of bumps in the road.

39 weeks pregnant
but wait, there’s more!

Positive affirmations for pregnancy & birth

labor
Wish I could find a site to credit this to, but a friend sent it to me!

I absolutely love positive affirmations – whether they’re used to center yourself around your pregnancy and birth, or just in everyday life. It’s SO helpful to me to have a word or a phrase accessible in the back of my mind to pull on when I’m feeling stressed, off balance, overwhelmed, or anxious. And I’ve REALLY needed them during this pregnancy!

but wait, there’s more!

Dealing with gestational diabetes

I had a wonderfully uncomplicated first & second trimesters of pregnancy, so I feel a little bit like I’m “paying” for it with this lovely third trimester!

I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, much to my surprise, right around the start of the third trimester, after failing two glucose tolerance tests. I was absolutely not expecting this! I went into the first test feeling like it was a totally unnecessary test {just about every pregnant lady has to take it, depending on your doctor} because why on earth would I have diabetes? I definitely had a preconceived notion that gestational diabetes only happened to people who didn’t take care of their bodies, who didn’t know how to eat right, or that you at least had to have history of it in your family. Yeah, I was a little overweight before getting pregnant, but I wasn’t eating ice cream every night or anything! Oh, how wrong I was – and how damaging those notions can be.

I’m pretty sure almost every mama diagnosed with gestational diabetes {GD for short} goes through a bit of a mourning period, if it’s not an expected diagnosis. WHAT did I do wrong? Is it just because I’m fat and don’t eat enough vegetables? So much self-blame and bad feelings raced around my head. Totally normal feelings,  but totally misplaced and ultimately hurtful to myself. If you’re recently diagnosed, tell those thoughts to SHUT IT. They’re wrong and dumb and you’re fine.

Continue reading “Dealing with gestational diabetes”

Second trimester sanity-savers

I am solidly in the third trimester now {where has the time gone?! I have a feeling I’ll be saying that a lot from now on} and thought I’d share some things that carried me through the second trimester. They say that the second trimester {weeks 13-28, approx.} is when you’re supposed to be glowing, at your peak of comfort and happiness and all that good stuff – I definitely enjoyed the second trimester more than the first, but hey, it wasn’t all sunshine and daisies!

Here are some things that I enjoyed and that helped me stay more comfortable during the second trimester.

{side note – I started writing this while I was still in the second trimester, but man, baby brain is no joke. I’m 34 weeks now!!} Continue reading “Second trimester sanity-savers”

Our greatest adventure yet

Ah, how things can change in just one year!

This time last year, Ben had just graduated from AFIT, he was starting a new job, friends were moving, I had recently started my job at the library – and I thought we were going through lots of life changes!

Little did I know, one year later, I’d be 20 weeks pregnant with our first child. 

My goodness, we are beyond happy for this gigantic life change. Ben and I remark about 50 times a day how lucky we are, how amazing this already is, and how this is such a wildly exciting time in our lives. Every tiny kick I feel is just unreal. We were grinning like idiots during the entire anatomy ultrasound we had last week – seeing that healthy, wiggly babe on the screen made my heart swell with happiness.

I’ve been lucky to have a relatively smooth pregnancy so far. I got away with very little morning sickness in the first trimester, and am suuuuper happy to have some of my energy back in the second trimester so far!

The most ridiculous of the photos from the announcement, haha

I wasn’t quite prepared for the intense anxiety that goes along with all of the unknowns of the first trimester, though. Gosh, while it is such an exciting time, it can be so darn scary at the same time. I had plenty of moments where my fear completely overtook my excitement; where nothing but the passing of time could help. My blood pressure & HR at doctor’s appointments were SO HIGH – then every time I got to hear the heart beat, it went back down to normal. {The nurse literally asked if I felt like I was having a heart attack once because my heart rate was almost as high as baby’s. Oops.}

I totally wanted to be one of those put-together ladies that took the weekly bump photos, wrote out long & detailed weekly updates, etc. etc. But something kept holding me back. We announced the pregnancy on social media right around 12 weeks, which is a little early, and then the next day, had a scare that sent us to the ER, thinking it was all over. After that, as silly as it sounds, I felt like I was going to jinx something by sharing too much and putting too much hope into one teeny tiny fetus. But now that most of that fear is gone, I want to write more so that I have something wonderful to look back on as years go by! This is a giant “first” in our lives and I want to remember every second of it.

Thanks for reading! ~Margaret

(Photo credit for the announcement to the wonderful Courtney Nelson Photography, a fellow military spouse!)

Brew a delicious cup of French press coffee!

Y’all know I love my coffee.

Or at least Ihopeyoudo if you’ve been around for a hot second!

Now I’ll be honest with you – sometimes there’s nothing better than a cup of coffee that someone else made {I see you, busy moms & dads!}. But I think it’s v important to learn how to brew your own coffee in as many ways as possible. If you’re a coffee nerd like me you’ll understand that certain roasts taste best when they’re brewed in a particular way & that there’s always more to learn!

I used to hate French press coffee – it felt gritty, too sour and heavy, and just yuck. But that was because I was doing it wrong!

It took some tinkering with different recipes & tutorials that I found on the internet, but I finally found just the right taste. Full bodied, smooth, and easy to drink!

You might find that you want to add more or less coffee, or that you don’t really care about exact measurements, so take this all with a grain of salt. Or a grain of coffee??! lolz.

Continue reading “Brew a delicious cup of French press coffee!”

Introducing… Made to Bloom Photography!

So, I did a thing.

I started a real, actual, legit, has-a-website-and-everything photography business.

*cue the internal screaming*

Without further ado, let me formally introduce Made to Bloom Photography!

I mentioned a few posts ago that I quit one of my jobs, the barista job that I had been at for two years. Quitting that job lifted a weight off of my shoulders, but it definitely wasn’t easy. It took some time to build up the courage to leave, but I’m so glad I did.

I rode that courage wave straight into the creation of my photography business, & am just hoping that it doesn’t crash any time soon 😉

I’ve been taking photos for friends for the past year or so, and just absolutely fell in love with portrait and family photography. I love the challenge of capturing fleeting expressions and creating photographs that show these people and these families in their unique stages of life, imperfectly perfect and oh so beautiful. I am so honored that my friends even asked me in the first place, and definitely wouldn’t have taken this big leap if it hadn’t been for all of their encouragement.

Most folks who get into the photography business tend to name their companies after themselves or work their names in there somehow. I totally would have liked to do that, but there was something so clunky about “Margaret Fogarty Photography” and all of the variations of that! Of course, then I went on to choose a name that’s as long as forever & a day, lol, but that’s life.

It took me quite some time to come up with a name that I liked, but something about Made to Bloom Photography really stuck.

So, where did this name come from?

As a military spouse who has to move every few years to a completely new location, I know what it feels like to be plucked out of my comfort zone. I heard the phrase “bloom where you are planted” right after my first military move, and something about it really stuck with me. Even if we don’t love where we are at the moment (physically, mentally, in our bodies, our careers, anything!) it’s up to us to bloom where we are, or to try our best to do so. We’re made (by our past experiences, our parents, our communities, God, or whatever you believe) to bloom right where we are. As a photographer, I want to help capture where you are right now, in all of its beautiful and messy glory. You’re made to bloom & I want to help you see that, too.

I’m feeling all of those nervous feelings about jumping into this new endeavor, all of that impostor syndrome goodness, but hey, life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Cue all of the cheesy inspirational quotes!!

So please, if you don’t mind helping me out, could you go check out my website, give me a like on Facebook, or follow my Instagram? I would love you forever, but I’ll probably love you forever anyways!!

Lots of love over here!

I’ve been going non-stop this week! Lots to love floating around & not a lot of time to sit down and write about it unfortunately, but heyo, I made it!

weekly loves, Sept 4 – 10

Puppy love

Moose has been at peak cuteness this week. I didn’t think it was possible for him to get much cuter but dang it, every day he somehow makes it happen!

Photo Sep 06, 4 24 56 PM
Photo Sep 04, 9 59 58 PM

As the weather has gotten cooler, we’ve been getting him used to wearing sweaters. I love it so much, and I think he’s tolerating it… Just the cutest thing ever. He’s close to being totally potty trained {so close… stubborn Frenchies!} and has been SO loving & cuddly this week. What a good squish.

What Made Maddy Run

I finished this book up on Monday. It was a pretty quick read & was written well, so I would definitely recommend it. Warning, though, it’s about a sensitive topic. It dives into the life {and the end, specifically} of a new college student Madison Holleran, who struggled with depression, the pressure of school athletics, & perfectionism. Her story was intriguing to many, since she put on a front of total happiness via her Instagram, and lots of people could relate to the intense stress of being a student athlete. No happy ending here unfortunately, but we can all learn from her life to spend each day doing what we love & to reach out when we need help.

{If you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline @ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)}

Community

On a lighter note, I have been feeling the love from my friends & family lately. I am so grateful to have a network of supporting & loving people surrounding me, both near and far. I posted this week about how I’m making some substantial changes in my life and how I spend my time, and have been feeling warm & fuzzy from all the positive responses from my people. Thanks, y’all.

Also, Ben and I {and Moose} spent the evening at the WYSO Community Concert at a park in downtown Dayton – lovely weather, lovely music, & lovely vibes! Yay for loving local. <3